Page 24 of A New Chapter in Rosewood Beach

The lasagna was perfect, and she took it out of the oven and carried it into the dining room.

“Oh, Faith, that smells incredible,” Alexis said eagerly. “I absolutely cannot wait to eat it.”

Faith grinned, appreciating the compliment, and then began to dish out generous portions of the steaming hot meal. Soon they were enjoying it along with a strawberry summer salad and glasses of the Chardonnay.

“How’s tennis going?” Julia asked after a while, turning to Vivian and Hazel. “Are you both having fun?”

“Yes! We were playing just before this actually.” Hazel shook her head, chuckling. “I’m so tired but I feel great.”

“Same.” Vivian laughed, her cheeks flushed and her eyes shining. “I always wanted to play tennis, but I had no idea just how much fun it was going to be.”

“I’m going to be so sore.” Hazel shook her head, chuckling. “But at least I’m not as out of practice as I thought I would be. I still have a great serve.” She grinned proudly and pretended to bow a little.

“I think Sam is rubbing off on you,” Julia teased with a laugh.

“You do have a great serve,” Vivian agreed as she took a sip of her wine. “It helps me out a great deal, since I really don’t know what I’m doing yet. But I must say, gripping the bat and racing after the ball is every bit as exhilarating as I’ve always expected it to be.”

Alexis chuckled. “It’s a racket, Mom. A tennis racket. Not a bat.”

“Oh, right.” Vivian laughed. “I knew that. And whatever it’s called, using it is a great time.”

“We saw Terrence when we were playing there yesterday,” Hazel said, her eyes dancing. “Mom went out to retrieve one of our lost balls, and when I went after her, I saw her talking to Terrence next to his car.”

“Yeah?” Julia asked, a sly smile on her face. A knowing, gleeful look passed amongst her and Hazel and Alexis.

Vivian’s cheeks turned pink. “Yes, I nearly hit him in the head with that ball. Thankfully he ducked in time. He was very gracious about the whole thing, however. He’s always so gracious.”

Faith noticed the look pass amongst Hazel and Julia and Alexis again.

“Mom was so friendly to Terrence that for a while there I thought she was going to invite him to join is,” Hazel said, grinning.

“Don’t be silly,” Vivian said, shaking her head but still blushing furiously. “I wasn’t being any more friendly than usual. Terrence and I have been good friends for a while now.”

Faith had done her best to listen politely, but she only really heard half of what was being said. Her anxiety was still twisted in her stomach like a knot she couldn’t untie, and she knew that she was in danger of bursting into tears at any moment. Faith had always been prone to tears, good or bad, and ever since moving to Rosewood Beach, she’d stopped suppressing her emotions the way she used to. That meant that she felt more free and relaxed, but it also meant that it was harder for her to hold back her tears, even at times like this.

She felt as though her emotions were about to explode out of her, and she knew she needed to leave the room before she burst into tears.

“Could I—I’m so sorry,” she murmured, standing up. She tried to keep her voice low so that no one would be able to hear how much it was trembling, but it was obvious from the way everyone turned to look at her in surprise that she hadn’t succeeded in doing that. “I’m just going to?—”

“Faith, what’s wrong?” Alexis asked, looking alarmed.

“You’re so pale,” Julia said.

Faith pressed her lips together and sat back down again. A tear spilled out of her left eye and she quickly wiped it away.

“I—I have something important to ask all of you,” she blurted.

Everyone’s attention was fixed on her. Each of their faces wore an expression that was both sympathetic and concerned. They’d clearly caught on immediately to her desperation.

“What is it?” Julia asked her softly, reaching out across the table to touch her arm.

Faith wasn’t able to hold it together any longer. She couldn’t help feeling as though she was seeing her future with the man of her dreams vanish before her eyes. When she saw so many faces turned toward her in worry, it made her concerns seem all the more real, and she broke down in tears.

“Faith, honey, it’s okay!” Hazel leapt up and went to put an arm around Faith’s shoulder.

Julia, ever the practical one, ran into the living room to grab a box of tissues. She returned with it a moment later and handed Faith two issues right away.

“Just let it all out,” Vivian said, rubbing Faith’s back. “We’re here to listen as soon as you’re ready to talk about it.”

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